Almost Paradise
by halfhuman123
Summary: Based on Greek Mythology. A mystery, a curse, and a legend, spanning across time and space. Nothing will ever be the same.
1. Prologue

I realized recently that I REALLY wanted to do a Gargoyles fanfic. And the moment I started fighting it, I knew I would end up doing it. So, this one starts out in Ancient times. While Demona (as the others aren't born yet) is up in Scotland, another adventure starts in Greece! Hopefully, this will be as good as I imagined it to be.

Almost Paradise

**Prologue**

"Rae'el! Rae'el, please, hurry! We have to move, now!"

"Charon! Charon, where ARE you!?"

"My love, I'm here."

"Charon."

"Hurry! If Hades finds out--!"

"I'm following you!"

Two pairs of footsteps rushed the corridors of the Temple of the Gods, where only the Gods themselves and the current prophetess could enter. However, at the time, the current prophetess, Rae'el, wanted most to get OUT.

The ancient city of Athens was beautiful, but she had had enough of it. She hated the city for all it was, for all it held her to be: a simple messenger for the Gods. One to deliver anything the Gods themselves desired, and to die there, in that temple. Such was to be her life, but she couldn't stand it! It was droll, dull, trite! Nothing more than an over-glorified delivery girl. And she surely felt the part for the better part of her life.

Until, that is, she met Charon.

He charmed her the instant they began talking, but that was long ago, and such things would best be remembered when they were safely across the large body of water that separated the city from the rest of the world... They would very much like to be in Rome... He would give up his immortality for her there, he knew he could persuade the Gods such a feat... and they would live together in a nice house, with some children, and grow old and die together, without the Gods dictating their every move. They would be normal.

Normal... It was something Rae'el had never been, ever since she was born, she was considered... different. It wasn't her fault; her skin was the color of granite, eyes the color of a piglet and her hair was that of pus. Her father, a priest, had shunned her for the most part, and never thought she was anything special to pay attention to. After all, she was a daughter, a girl: girls couldn't learn, or fight, or do much more than house work and have children. On top of all that, her appearance left a lot to be desired. So when she heard she had a gift, a talent to talk to the Gods through her "dreams", she was ecstatic. Rae'el could finally be useful.

She didn't realize what she had really gotten herself into.

"Rae'el? Are you alright?" Charon, her lover, peered into her face with concern, She smiled sheepishly, and pushed him away. "We'll be there soon. Just stay close to me."

They were finally stowed away on a ship, the captain had been paid for his silence. She would be missed by the city's people, but she felt her happiness was far above that of all the people of Athens'. She wanted her father to love and respect her, not to use her, not like this. Rae'el had to leave. It was the only way.

"Charon... is it getting colder?" Rae'el was wrapped tightly in a blanket, but was still shivering. Charon shrugged and looked around him. The other passengers were sound asleep, save for three young women, huddled together and sharing warmth, though, not shivering. Their eyes were what was fairly disturbing, however. It was unusual to see such blue eyes...

He shuddered, and ushered his beloved upstairs to have a talk to the captain. On deck, it was foggy, and they could barely see. "Captain! Captain... what ho?" He looked about him. There was nothing... nobody. It was abandoned. He held Rae'el closer to him, fearing the worst.

A short but strong gust of wind blew around them, and out of mist emerged the same three young women from before, now looking furious. "Rae'el... you should NOT have left." The one with blond hair spoke first. The other two watched on.

"Neither should you, Charon." A second, ebony haired, spoke quietly. Rae'el shivered harder, but stepped forward, challenging the trio.

"Who are you? Who sent you!?" Rae'el was angry as well, and didn't like to be teased and tested. The three turned, and out from the fog emerged their master... and Charon's as well. "H-Hades! H-how--?" The God of Death merely scoffed at her lack of words.

"I didn't have to be sent, child. I know. The Fates are also very well informed." He gestured to the three young girls, who had transformed to floating spirits before the couple's eyes. The God of Death was horrifying, the main reason so many were afraid of dying was because of seeing Hades' angry red eyes. And now, Rae'el knew what made them so terrifying. They were like boiling pits of fire, but cold, and passionless. It made her shiver that much more. Charon sensed her distress, and wrapped his arms around her, preparing to bargain with the evil God. But he seemed to have other plans.

"You sought to desert me, Charon? I am displeased. To go off with this one," He gestured to the girl, who was flung from Charon with only Hades' will, and thrown to the floor in front of him. "Leaving me without a master for the boat of the River Styx? As pretty as she may be, Charon, you agreed to an eternity of servitude. You vowed your life, and soul, to ME, Charon! To be bound to this girl in marriage goes against that agreement, and we can't have that, now... can we, Charon!?" He spat out the boy's name in disgust, as if each time he said it it left an unpleasant taste in his mouth. And each time he said it, just for emphasis, he would slap the boy, harder and harder, until he was panting, blood running from his mouth and nose onto the deck of the frozen ship.

Rae'el screamed, and tried to run and comfort Charon, but before she could reach him, he was swept away from her grasp, and levitated high above her head. "I shall deal with YOU later, boy." And with that, he was tossed overboard, into the freezing depths of the ocean below. Hades could hear the young prophetess' cry as his body hit the waves, and went to handle her punishment. As he made a step towards her, she instantly turned, her blanket falling with her beloved into the ocean. Her eyes with wet with tears, and before he could say anything, she was on her knees in front of him, her hands clasped.

"Please... please... send me to him. Kill me, have your vengeance, and let us be together, please!" Hades considered the girl for a second, before turning to the three spirits behind him. Their eyes were soulless, emotionless, and cold. Three after his own... well, not heart, he didn't have one. The girl was shivering yet again, it must be rather cold out here for her, Hades thought.

"I cannot. Charon has given himself to me, which means that he cannot love. Not now," He turned to leave. "Not ever. May Zeus have mercy on your soul."

She cried out again, reaching for the hem of his cloak. "Please! Zeus and Athena have already forsaken my soul for serving you! They no longer allow me to visit them with dreams, and the people of Athens would have found out, they would sooner have me locked in the dungeons and find another than kill me! Please... If not my life, then my soul, my eternal humanity, sentence me to exile, but please, PLEASE, do not send me back!"

He chuckled and she looked up, finally realizing she was bargaining with death itself. He was amused, however, at her hatred for the people who had made her practically a Goddess. "You do hate them, don't you child?" She nodded her head, placing it onto her clasped hands. A final tear dropped from her eyes, as Hades worked the air around them to seal her fate. "Even if you should DIE," The word echoed around her like a forceful gale, causing her to shiver more, every pore on her body clinching and scaling with ice. "I would never allow you even past the gates of Hell, to be with your beloved oar boy. Forever, you would reside beneath the river Styx, your own prison, alone." She was about to protest again, before he held up a hand. "However, you amuse me, young prophetess... So be it. Let it be known, child, that you shall awaken... when daylight no longer touches your skin!"

Rae'el wanted to look up, but her head felt so heavy, her eyes were caked with sleep... or was it stone? She was so tired anyway, it wouldn't have mattered. The tear on her cheek hardened to almost crystal, and her skin, a color she absolutely abhorred, hardened. The last thing she knew, she was falling into a deep sleep, her body tingling all over.

The Fates watched her transformation silently. She wasn't just turning to stone. Maybe this would work out to their advantage. The last sister, one with moon-colored hair, bowed to the God of the Dead. "Hades, allow us to take her far from here. She will rest there forever, never to disturb you again." The god bowed to them, and vanished, leaving to find his vassal. The Fates, sometimes also called The Weird Sisters, picked up the sleeping girl, and transported her, just for now, to the top of the world, where daylight was always shining down on her, leaving her in a transfixed state for all eternity.

Or at least... what should have been all eternity.

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Please review, let me know what you think so far. Don't worry, the gargoyles, Elisa, Xanatos, Fox, Owen, and the fates will all appear in the next chapter! Some will even have speaking parts! Soooo... Hooray for that!


	2. Chapter One: The Pearl Gargoyle

A/N: I don't own anyone in this story. I'm crossing this from Greek mythology and what I gathered from Shakespeare and the Gargoyles show. Rae'el is mine, though. Maybe I should have said that at the start. Oh, well, you know it now. Rae'el is pronounced Ray-el. That's it. Oh, and the pairing isn't Brooklyn/Weird Sisters, they're just the two main people. Erm... beings.

Almost Paradise

**Chapter One: The Pearl Gargoyle**

"I don't get it. What does Mr. Xanatos want all the way out here, anyways?"

"Somethin' rare. I dunno. Has us out in the Antarctic, while I, frankly, am FREEZIN' my ba--"

"Gentlemen?" David Xanatos' voice cackled over their headsets. A devil-may-care type, Xanatos was always up for a good laugh. This time, he was all business. "I'm usually a patient man. I, frankly, am tired of waiting for this to get done. How hard can it be to find a statue of pearl in the arctic?" The cold tundra was windy that day, but then, when is it not? Such a vast and remote wonderland people dream of visiting… and an archeological team paid to be out there only wanted to be in the Bahamas.

The small team of five shrugged and trudged on through the frozen terrain. "Sorry, Mr. Xanatos. It's just that... it's cold, y'know? An', not that I don' like the pay, but--" He looked over to his teammates for help, but they didn't have anything else to say. "There are just some t'ings, if frozen, can't get bought back, y'know?" Two of the hikers giggled behind him as the older male rolled his eyes. "We bin out here fer goin' on three days, don'cha think, if there WAS anythin' out here, we woulda fouu-oouuff!" His comrades rushed around their fallen friend, looking at him with concern, before gasping at what he tripped over. A large, pearl wing stuck out of the snow, just barely visible.

"I'll send the chopper over. And cups of hot cocoa."

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"Xanatos!"

"Mr. Xanatos!"

"Xanatos, over here!"

"Mr. Xanatos, a moment, please!"

The press had always been dogging his every move, but David Xanatos didn't really seem to mind. On the contrary, he seemed to thrive on it. And his wife, Fox, was no different. Skilled at many things, two of which David didn't mind sharing at all were acting and fighting, she wasn't new to the limelight at all. She was, however, new to waking up at eight thirty in the morning to go to a surprise press conference at their own house, for which she had to get dressed up. As she passed her husband, she whispered, "I REALLY hope this is worth it." in lieu of a good morning. He grinned as she passed, knowing it would be.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press... welcome! I would have made coffee and doughnuts for everyone, but I believe the cooking staff's taken care of that already." Always the jester, he indicated to the half empty table of food and drink that was left out. The press had a good laugh about it, as did several cops down at the police station who happen to be watching the report on the television that morning.

A humorless chuckle was given, however, by one Detective Elisa Maza, unimpressed by Xanatos' poor taste in jokes. "I see he's got the press eating out of his hands again. Typical." Elisa was tall, street smart, and sassy, and was also a bit of an acquaintance to Xanatos. Kind of. She would rather not have anything to do with him at ALL. Her partner, Matt Bluestone, was more taken with the eccentric billionaire.

"I dunno, they're more eating off of his table, don't you think?" He asked, nudging her. She rolled her eyes, and they continued to watch the news report, which was being broadcast live all over New York.

Xanatos regained control of the press, and they were soon quiet. "Thank you. Now, I know you all remember me and my lovely wife, Fox, getting married a year ago today. And so, to celebrate that momentous occasion, I scoured the corners of the globe to find the rarest treasure I could. Ladies, gentlemen, home audiences across New York," he smiled across at Fox, and extended his hand out to her, which she took. "Fox. I give you," Owen wheeled it in on a red, velvety platform, on top of which was a pearl, praying gargoyle statue, a crystalline track of what may have been a tear trailing down her face. Fox gasped, and clutched her husband's hand. "The Pearl Gargoyle. I read about it once in a traveling magazine. One of a kind. Said to be created by the Fates. I hope you like it." His wife, he was pleased to see, was stunned silent.

"Oh, David... it's... it's beautiful!" Fox stepped towards it, and brushed down the solid streaking tear track on its face. It really was lovely, its face emitting a sadness that no statue should ever portray accurately. She reached up to touch where it's eyes where, and felt a cold shock running through her fingers. While David stayed to answer the press' questions: "How did you come across it?" "How much did this expedition take?" "Is this one going to come to life at night, too?" she went with Owen to find a place for the new, one of a kind treasure.

Ah, yes, the "Gargoyle-coming-to-life" thing. Again. It was always a hot button topic. Sure, they had them up there, but no one really thought that David Xanatos would have the type that came to life at night. And at the moment, he was telling the press that this one probably wouldn't, as it was "frozen in a sort of... hyperbolic sleep." The press, of course, would be a little skeptical.

Then again, David WAS brilliant... They would believe him soon enough.

"Here?"

"Yes... there is perfect, Owen, thank you. Could you please check on the baby?" He nodded, and excused himself gracefully, and then left the room. The statue was poised in the middle of the baby's play room, the light reflecting off of it just so it would shine and shimmer on the ceiling. Owen brought the baby over so that he could see it. By then, baby Alex Xanatos was almost a year old, and he reached up to the ceiling, grabbing at the mini rainbows far above his head. "Alex... do you want to meet your new friend? This... is Madison." She said, taking him and bringing him close to the statue.

"You named it?" David was back, finally through with the press. Fox smiled, and left the baby by the statue so he could see it, touch it.

"Yes, of course I named her. It's a very nice name, don't you think?" She asked, kissing her husband on the cheek. "I love it, David, and so does Alex." The baby smiled and waved his arms, hitting the statue-- Madison's legs several times in the process.

Dimly, Madison's eyes began to glow...

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That evening...

Elisa stared at the skyline from on top of David Xanatos' personal castle top. There stood seven brilliant stone gargoyles, each taking a different perch. By day, they were stone, inconspicuous, just decorations on an old Scottish castle. But after the sun sets...

A sharp cracking noise, then another, and five more, as the gargoyles opened their eyes. It wasn't long before they finally burst out of their stone cocoons, roaring and yawning and stretching. All of them were different, but they were, as Goliath, the biggest, purple one put it, all in the same clan. He stepped down first, being the leader, and walked towards Elisa, his very best friend. Next to him was his daughter, Angela. The same color as her father, with long black hair to match, she smiled at Elisa gently, as was her nature. Three young male gargoyles stepped down; Brooklyn, the second in command, was a take charge gargoyle, Lexington was short, small, and green, and loved to have fun, and Broadway, a stout, greenish-blue guy was... more or less always hungry, but a powerhouse. Finally, the oldest one, and the group's former leader, Hudson, and the watch dog, Bronx. Altogether, they were a great team.

"Hey guys. Xanatos wants to talk to you." Elisa said, guiding Goliath downstairs. He looked around to his companions, who shifted about guiltily. "Relax. It's just about a statue, nothing serious." They looked relieved, and Elisa could only bite her lip. 'At least... I think it is...'

They met up with the Xanatos' in Alex's playroom, the baby immediately rushing for Lexington, who picked him up with vigor. His parents stood on either side of the statue, still, even after the sun had gone down. "It's a gargoyle... but it's still stone at night." Hudson observed. He ran his hand across the top of the head of the statue. It was warm, as if the sun had been on it, and was still on it.

Xanatos nodded. "We thought it was just a regular statue at first. But, then again, since when is anything just a regular anything? Besides, I had Owen here check it for magic. Just like you guys, it has trace amounts of magic, allowing it to turn to stone during the day. However, it seems like--"

"It's still stone." Goliath noted. He looked at it in curiosity, trying to figure out exactly what was going on with the young gargoyle. "Turning flesh... isn't something us gargoyles can avoid."

Angela stepped up too, and knelled down next to Madison. "Well... maybe she's under a spell. I think we should just give her some time to wake up."

She stood, just as her mate, Broadway, as well as Brooklyn, moved to look at the gargoyle next to her, and check out the statue for themselves. "And if it's not?" Brooklyn asked, crossing his arms. Broadway glared at him a bit. Brooklyn had been a bit on edge ever since he found out that Angela chose him instead of the macho second-in-command; through it all, however, Angela remained blissfully unaware, just as she did now.

"Then it's just a regular statue. We just have to give her time; it may not even take that long." Broadway smiled down at the beauty. He couldn't believe he actually won her over, and wasn't aware of who was watching. Brooklyn couldn't take it anymore, and walked away, putting himself behind Goliath so he could no longer see the pair. While Goliath and David talked about how he came upon the gargoyle, Brooklyn allowed his mind to wander.

He tried to win her over, he did everything he could to talk to her, get her to notice him... But she chose Broadway instead. What had he done, but read to her a few times? He took a deep breath, and bit his tongue, mentally of course. He knew it was more than just that. And he should be glad for his rookery brother, and Goliath's daughter, they were... nice together. Or something. Either way, not even time could break those two up. And... He supposed it didn't matter. Come on, being rejected by Maggie and Angela, and being betrayed by Demona... Women made things complicated, and someone somewhere was trying to tell him to keep away from them for a while. He chanced a glance towards the statue he had heard Fox earlier call Madison. Well... just for a little while. "Huh!?" He snapped out of his reverie just in time to hear Goliath calling his name. "Um... Sorry, I was just... er, what did you say, Goliath?"

"I was saying that we should still be protecting the city, despite this new development, so you and Broadway should patrol the west. Lexington, you and Angela go to the east. Hudson and I will take downtown, and Elisa--" He stopped when she gently touched his arm.

"I've already got the north; Matt and I are going to patrol the area as soon as I'm done here." She heard a small beeping coming from inside her jacket pocket, and took a look at the pager that was vibrating when she took it out. "Or maybe I'm done now... I'll catch you guys before sunrise, I gotta go." Detective Maza smiled at her gargoyle friends, then looked over at the Xanatos' pointedly, Alex now back in his mother's arms. "Keep me posted, I guess, on Madison. Any movement at all." She shrugged. Elisa highly doubted there would be anything. She thought it was just another statue... though, made of pearl? That was a bit odd... however...

It was going to have to wait. Right now, a statue, no matter what it's made of, could not bother Elisa Maza from doing what she was good at: being a cop. She took off down the stairs, towards her car, by which her partner Matt was standing. She waved to him, and hopped into the car, taking off towards the northern most section of the town. Little did she know, however, that she, or rather, the Xanatos Tower, was being watched, carefully, by three little girls in school uniforms. And each with different hair: one blond, one with hair white as a lamb, and one with ebony locks.

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Okay, so... review, and thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter Two: The Awakening

A/N: Well, that was pretty easy. So far, so good. Nothing really noteworthy to say thus far, except: I don't own anything here, except for Madison. Broadway and Angela are together. Deal with it. Brooklyn is not homicidal. Lexington is very much in touch with his feminine side. I don't care if you don't like it, it's true. That's all I'm going to say for now. Stay tuned.

**Chapter Two: Awakening**

A week went by without anyone seeing any signs of movement from Madison. However, that didn't stop anyone from interacting with the statue itself. Angela and Broadway would come in, and tell her stories from their favorite Shakespeare books. When they would leave, and the daylight sun would shine through the baby's playroom window, the statue would glow, faintly just then. The same would happen whenever Owen would pass, and spare her an appreciative glance, or dust off the occasional spider or fly, when Bronx would lay down right next to her, trying to keep her warm, when Hudson would unintentionally talk to her about his glory days.

Soon, she was much more than a decoration. She was another gargoyle, one of the clan... even though she couldn't fly or patrol with them... or talk, even.

Another week went by, and still, no change. The weather got colder, and the wind roared past the window, sending a shiver down Fox's spine. She held her baby closer to her, rocking him to the sound of a short lullaby. The sun was near setting, and its rays reflected off of icicles hanging from the rafters, onto the pearl gargoyle, Madison, they had brought home so many days before.

The sun set within five minutes, and Fox, still expectant, still waiting, looked at Madison with hope. Maybe today, she would move. But then what? Get up, miraculously dance around? What did she want with another gargoyle anyway? Maybe... she thought humorlessly, maybe it was "The Pack" in her, making her want a different challenge. Who knew what mysteries this gargoyle held; who she was, what she lived through, how she came to be in the antarctic. Or perhaps it was her mothering instincts, causing her to want something else to take care of. Whatever it was, it was nagging at her, making her want to find out more, what else was behind this little pearl statue they could only watch from day to day?

Broadway and Angela came down first, patting Madison on the head and smiling at Fox briefly, before heading off to the library. Lexington, Bronx, and Goliath all came down together, the small green one talking about some new computer game David set up for him, and was waiting to play with him in the computer room. Hudson waddled after them, muttering that he would rather watch his TV programs. "All the flashing lights and loud noises... they give me a headache. No, I think I'd rather stick to a nice, quiet afternoon with the TV actors and actresses." Hudson growled, scratching the watch dog's head as he passed him and Madison. "And to you, lass." He said jokingly, giving her a gentle slap on the back.

Fox turned to him, and for the few minutes she was scolding him ("I WISH you wouldn't hit Madison, Hudson, it's not polite! And the baby is impressionable at this age...", on and on it went.) when no one was paying attention to her, Madison glowed briefly, her pearl skin getting a bit warmer. As Fox went to usher the guys out of the room, Brooklyn came slumping in. There was nothing fun to look forward to anymore. Go on patrol, come back, watch TV, go to sleep, repeat. For one fleeting second, he actually wished that the Quarrymen were back. At least they brought some excitement to the city. Besides your normal robber, mugger, thief, and occasional shooter, there was nothing to do. So that was it then? That was to be their lives, until they died in that New York city? He shook his head. Brooklyn wouldn't let it end like that. Not for him.

He turned to look at the statue, which had just stopped glowing. She still hadn't waken up, after two weeks. 'I guess it really IS a statue.' He thought quickly, before leaning down to look at it's sad closed eyes. "Come on. A plain statue made of pearl? That can't be right." He whispered.

And to his surprise... it wasn't.

The statue began to glow, faintly at first, which made Brooklyn think it was some sort of trick of the light. But it brightened, steadily, until it shone as gloriously as the sun might. He shielded his eyes and groaned, never before had he seen anything this bright! Then a familiar sound reached his ears, and he turned to the others. The jerky cracking that indicated that-- "Cracking... it's cracking, guys! She's waking up!" A flurry of footsteps followed, and everyone was back in the baby's room, faster than normal. Around the statue in a circle they gathered, watching tiny crevices become big ones, spread fast throughout the head, around the eyes and crystal tear, and down her body.

Outside, three young girls were watching, smiling. It was time. It was finally time.

The eyes popped open, pink in color, and the final stretch, as Madison awoke from a sleep that lasted near a millennium.

She stood up, and looked around, cautiously, and they were surprised to see that her actual eye color was pink. Her hair, short, was almost a snowy white, and her skin a rich blue-gray. With all the natural abnormalities the young Gargoyle displayed, it was her clothes that stood out most vibrantly. They weren't Scottish dress, with a loincloth and brassiere, nor was it English. It was of Greek origin. A criss-crossing shirt that went over her shoulders, above which was a black choker. On her arms was a simple armlet, and an armband 'round her upper arm. Her skirt was buckled with a strange symbol, and on her legs were straps that looked like they belonged on sandals.

Nothing was said between all of them, as they just look at each other, and watched the other's movements. It was Bronx, however, who unknowingly broke the ice by barking, and bounding over to the young gargoyle. Brooklyn reached out to him, trying to get him to come back, so as not to scare the girl, but he missed. Bronx sniffed her, and she smiled and knelt down, allowing him to put his front claws on her shoulders and lick her face. She giggled, but never uttered a word.

"Ah. Good to see you're finally awake." Xanatos had just entered the room with Owen, general pleasure crossing his features. Madison smiled, and continued to watch him, but didn't say anything. "Well, I suppose the only thing to say now is, welcome." A few nods, and everyone was quietly watching her. Expecting her to say something. "Ah... Do you have a name? I mean, we've been calling you Madison this whole time, but we--" She nodded vigorously after he said Madison, but still... didn't say anything. "Ahhh... do you... speak? At all?" She was testing his patience, and everyone in the room could sense that. Even though it made Lexington and Brooklyn snicker.

Madison blinked and bit her lip, but still didn't speak up. About a minute went by before she made any noise. "I can speak... of course. I just didn't have anything to say." She sat down and crossed her legs. "Sorry Mr. Xanatos."

He shrugged it off and rolled his neck. "It's a start. So you already know who I am? How?" She continued to bite her lip, then stood up. She was almost the smallest gargoyle, Lexington had her beat on that front, but other than that, she looked like, if compared to the average human, she had just hit adulthood.

"You brought me here. And talked to me; all of you. I—I thought that I should... at least know your names, and I--"

But Brooklyn interrupted her. "Wait... you heard all of us? Like, when we talked to you, and about you? But why didn't you wake up? Why didn't you say anything!?" Madison shied back, and rubbed her arms. Making it apparent to the older gargoyle that he should back off just a bit. "Sorry." Was all he could say.

She blinked, and gazed at the floor bashfully. "I couldn't wake up. No matter HOW many voices I heard, I wasn't able to. I tried, though. I really did." Madison sounded sad, but when she spoke next, it vanished. "I heard you call me Madison," she nodded to Fox. "And I thought that was my name, I guess. Everything I know of is this room... this place. Before that--" She shook her head and wiped her eyes as Angela stepped forward.

It was some strange force of nature that compelled Angela to feel the way she did just then; she had never felt it before. Her arms found it's way around Madison's neck, and held her. "It's okay... you can stay here with us, and we'll watch after you." Against her cheek she could feel the youth nod, and Angela backed away. "It's not a problem... is it, Xanatos?" He shrugged.

"I don't see why not. She's a gargoyle as well, it's only right she stay with your clan." The silence in the room broke into a rousing cheer, as each gargoyle introduced themselves. Madison seemed a little scared to be meeting so many people. But as long as Angela was standing near her, she looked up and noted, it seemed like things would be okay.

The entire group took her up to the top of the castle, to the scaffold they always slept on, where Elisa was waiting.

"There you are, I was beginning to wond—oh. She's awake?" Maza held out her hand to the female, who took it apprehensively. "I'm Elisa Maza, it's really nice to meet you!" Madison scratched her arm again, and then nodded.

"It's very nice to meet you. I'm Madison." She said sheepishly. But then, she bit her claw. "This is it?" Elisa screwed up her face and looked over at Goliath, who shrugged. "I mean... I remember you talking... many humans don't like you. So the ones that do... They're here?" Everyone smiled when they finally understood what she meant.

The leader clasped her on the shoulder, to which she jumped. But the smile comforted her a little bit. "There are some other humans we know and trust... however, it is very hard to find others who trust us as well." Madison's innocent eyes looked up at him with understanding, and Angela felt that odd twinge again. "The world is not a bad place... but rather full of bad judgment." Her gaze was as if he was telling her a story, full of wonder and amazement. Brooklyn looked over at her and smiled slightly. She had NO idea what she was in for. Though it was in that moment that he felt disgusted with himself for feeling sorry for her.

Her smile was willing and excited, anxious. "Oh, Goliath, I can hardly wait! I would love to see what New York is really like! Would you--?" Before she could finish, someone else already interrupted her.

"I'll take her!" Lexington said, a little louder than intended. "You and Elisa could come with us while the others go back on patrol." Goliath nodded and went around to the other side of the castle with Elisa, while Madison and Lex followed. Angela and Broadway were talking excitedly, and Hudson already took Bronx back to the television room to watch. Brooklyn scowled, but quickly recovered. Nothing was ever set in stone this quickly. He took a few deep breaths, and took off after Angela and Broadway.

Madison watched them take off, and shivered. "I-I'm not exactly sure I can do this." She stuttered. Lexington sensed her fears and took her hand to console her.

"Don't worry about it. Just feel the air currents, and ride them. All gargoyles can do it, you'll get it soon enough." She nodded, and gritted her teeth. "Oh, and Madison? Welcome to New York."

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Please review, any questions or anything... And have an AWESOME Spring Break!


	4. Chapter Three: Getting To Know You

A/N: Well, we made it this far. Congrats! A few more author's notes: I don't own anything but Madison. The twinge for Angela? You'll see what's up with that in either this or the next chapter. Enjoy! Oh, and PS: Sorry about updating the same chapter twice last time, and thanks for those who let me know I was an idiot for a minute :P

**Chapter Three: Getting To Know You**

Madison smiled as she glided on the currents, enjoying her first flying lesson. "So, wait..." Lexington soared next to her. "You've never done this before? But I thought all gargoyles learned to fly when they were hatchlings." The female smiled, and sped up, racing him around a building, swerving to barely dodge it.

"Well... I dunno... I guess I didn't." She bit one of her short, stubby fingers. "Is that weird?" They swooped together to land on one of the tower tops, feet making no noise, as if it were a cat's padded paws on a carpet. Madison walked to the edge and looked over, seeing all the lights of the city and taking it all in.

Lexington watched her, his curiosity building. He wanted to know where she came from, and then, maybe, they could be friends. But Goliath told them to take it slowly at first. Let her open up to them, on her own time. It would be less stressful that way.

But less stressful for whom? Who was this girl, and where did she come from? What did she want? Maybe, since she was asking something, he could answer... but give way for her to answer one of his questions as well. "It's not THAT weird. Maybe it's like that where you come from...?" Oh yeah, that was smooth.

Pink eyes flicked back to him, and they crinkled as she smiled. "Yeah. Maybe. I don't know for sure. I don't remember where I came from." She shrugged, and shook her head. And the two of them were quiet for a while... It was like they didn't need to say anything to understand each other. He climbed upon the small ledge, beckoning her to follow. Madison turned back and walked the opposite direction. Before he could question it, she rushed past him, and glided down, catching a particularly strong updraft, and soared upwards, very close to where she dove from. Lex laughed, and chased her as quickly as possible.

Brooklyn watched as the two youngest gargoyles of the clan raced each other, faster and faster between the skyscrapers of New York. Why couldn't that be him? Carefree and easy-going. Maybe it was because he was the second-in-command, and he had to be serious. Or... did he? Goliath was always serious. No nonsense, that sort of thing. Well, except for when he was with Elisa. They were often seen laughing and smiling together. Which made him wonder even more, what was that like? To laugh and smile with someone that you really cared about. And caring back. Being able to have someone like that... that cared about you, and that you cared about... that must be something. But to him, it was like a mystery among mysteries. That was always beyond his reach, just barely inches from his fingertips-

"Brooklyn... hey, are you there buddy?" It was Broadway, calling his name over the walkie-talkies. Why did that always happen? Always interrupted while daydreaming...

"Yeah, I'm here. What's up?" He could hear quiet whispering on the other side, and he knew he and Angela were talking about him.

Not like he cared. "We're supposed to go back, it's an hour till sunrise, and patrol is going pretty slow tonight anyway. We're heading back to the castle, alright?" He grunted his consent, and turned the walkie talkie off, before jumping off the scaffolding he was on, and sailing back to Xanatos' manor, and Castle Wyvern.

When he got there, Madison was waiting, looking up towards the skies, on the opposite side of which he had landed. She was watching everything that was going on in the city below. The pin prick of lights and the scattering of those lights and the people, like they were all in a very big hurry to go somewhere. Maybe they were... Brooklyn took a few steps towards her, but then realized he didn't have anything really to say. He could tell her that she looked pretty... but wouldn't that be coming on a bit too strong? He had to say something. "Enjoy being out, huh?" It sounded sort of lame, but for the only thing he could think of, it was going to have to do.

And, to his surprise, she smiled, and nodded at him. "Yes, actually. Thanks." She paused to think. "Would you like to watch the city with me? Just until the sun starts coming up." Her voice was soft, and it didn't hold any sort of command in it at all. He stood next to her, rubbing his arms. She just watched him, though, curiosity lining every inch of her face. "Haven't you... done this before? Watched the city, just to see the lights?" The older male bit his lip, trying to think back. He had never watched something just to see it for what it was. He was always hunting for bad guys, or searching for someone, or thinking... Never just looked to see the city for what it was.

When he told her that, she nodded. He could tell she understood. "See, there's not much time to do anything else, it's kinda he-" But, just as he felt he was getting somewhere, he was interrupted. Again. It always seemed to happen to him, maybe he was just a magnet for dumb things like that. Lexington rounded the corner and coughed as soon as he caught sight of the two.

"Madison, it's almost morning. You'd better get up to the turrets." She smiled, and gave one last, sheepish look back at the red gargoyle. She waved back at him shyly, to which he responded with warm grin, and a very enthusiastic wave back. Feeling happier, she went back to the upper levels. Lexington watched her go before rounding on Brooklyn, a firm frown set in place. "Knock it off." He growled.

Brooklyn tried to look as innocent as gargoyle-ish-ly possible. But it was failing by the second. "Knock WHAT off...?"

"You know what I mean. Just leave her alone, she just woke up, she doesn't NEED you to mess with her head."

The red male took offense to that. It wasn't like he was DOING anything to her. She was just talking to him. Like, a conversation? It was no big deal. "Listen, Lex, it's not-"

"Just leave her alone." He said again, waving him off, looking very disappointed. "She's got me to take care of her, and I'm not going to let you get her." Taking a step forward, Brooklyn began to challenge him.

"Get her? What do you think I'm going to do, corrupt her! I only started talking to her, and you freak out at me!" Brooklyn and Lexington were going to continue shouting at each other, until that fateful moment when, just like always, they turned to stone; the moment the sun came up.

A/N: Yeah, that was a short chapter. The new character shows up next time I think, so you'll see what I'm dreading then. As always, review!


	5. Attention Readers

Attention faithful readers of this story:

I hope you've enjoyed reading this story and look forward to reading more. I do apologize for not updating this sooner, however. There are three other stories, just like this one, that I have not updated in a while, or at all. I can't please everyone and update them all on the same day (Well, I could, but what fun would that be, right?) so here's my proposition.

On my profile page, there is a poll for this and three other stories to be updated. The one with the most votes is updated during the first week of October, the next most votes gets the second week, etc, etc. You vote, you choose which one is update first... and I update. Just like that. I don't need reviews to this chapter, as a matter of fact, it **will** be exchanged for the new chapter after the poll is done. According to my profile, I think the last day to vote is on the 2nd of October... ignore that. The last day to vote will be on the 3rd of October. That's a Sunday. My update will be on Monday. Sometime. Sometime on Monday. Remember that. Okay, get to voting, and remember, I don't need a review on this chapter, just vote!

Thanks!

Halfhuman123


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